Patrick T. McWilliams: God's Law: The Wisdom of Israel

We have seen that the 10 Commandments serve as general summary statements of the unchanging moral standards of God which are innately known by every human being created in the image of God. We have also seen that the judicial case laws given to Israel function as extensions and applications of those same general principles. If these premises are accepted, then one must conclude that Israel’s case laws are still authoritative, in accordance with the principle of general equity, just as surely as man is bound by the law embedded in his conscience. The implications of this conclusion have bearing not only on the personal lives of individual Christians, but for the political and judicial spheres as well. If governing authorities function as ministers of God to suppress evil (Romans 13:1-6), they must have a standard for legislation that defines good and evil. To this end, there can be no greater standard or example than that which is provided by God Himself. In the words of John W. Robbins, “The Old Testament…is the oldest textbook in political freedom… Because the Bible is divinely revealed information, it furnishes us with the principles we need to defend a free society.”

Patrick T. Williams

From:  God's Law:  The Wisdom of Israel